When it comes to battling muscle disease, there was no summer slacking for the ERA Real Estate family. This summer, at least 14 separate fundraising events were held by ERA Real Estate companies with one common goal in mind: to make life better for kids with muscle disease. For many kids, this means having the financial resources to attend the annual Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) summer camp. 
This summer, I witnessed first-hand what the camp means to kids and their families – a week of feeling normal with peers facing similar challenges. It’s a week to be a kid in a safe and friendly environment, tailored to their specific needs. When visiting the New Jersey camp during VIP Day, held at Happiness is Camping in Hardwick, N.J., with team members from ERA Justin Realty Co., ERA Central Realty Group, ERA E.A. Boniakowsk Agency, Inc. and ERA Real Estate, it was evident that campers look forward to this time of year. When asked, many said they most enjoyed seeing their friends, swimming and attending the big dance.
With the kids’ enjoyment in mind, ERA Real Estate companies hold fundraisers to support the MDA and send kids to camp. Here’s just a snapshot of what these teams accomplished during the summer months.
In May, ERA Colonial Real Estate held its 15th Annual MDA Pat Patton Fish Fry and 5k Fun Run raising $5,852 and ERA Curasi Realty, Inc. collected $1,000 via the “A Day in May” Tricky Tray.
ERA Justin Realty Co. and ERA E.A. Boniakowski Agency, Inc. bowled their hearts out to raise more than $8,000 via the Bowl Over MDA event in June, specifically with summer camp in mind. Later that month, ERA Evergreen Real Estate co-sponsored the Dataw Splash, a USTA Sanctioned Tennis Tournament to Benefit the MDA. 
“In the past we had focused on raising funds for MDA research, but we now focus to give these children an immediate positive experience,” said broker and co-owner Jennifer Darby Metzger. “Due to the untiring efforts of our staff and those who donated, the MDA youngsters get to enjoy a week in the country in a structured environment to fit their abilities.”
During July, ERA Matt Fischer Realtor’s MDA Benefit at Waylon’s Water World raised more than $10,000 while agent Dale Sandberg of ERA Team VP Real Estate helped raise $1,200 to benefit the upstate NY chapter of ALS, a neuromuscular disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
And, efforts really began to heat up with the hot days of August with ERA Landmark Real Estate hosting its 3rd Annual ERA Agents of Hope Carnival, raising $16,000 for the Montana chapter of MDA; ERA Reardon Realty holding the 8th Annual “Summer Wine Down” for MDA, garnering a fund raising total of about $11,000 and ERA Team VP Real Estate totaling more than $10,000 at the 4th Annual Agents of Hope Golf Tournament. In addition, Pargin Realty ERA raised more than $9, 000 at the MDA BBQ Fundraiser; and at their 2nd Annual Bowl-A-Thon, ERA Central Realty Group raised more than $9,600 – enough to send twelve children to MDA summer camp next year.
“We are so grateful to our sponsors and fundraisers,” said ERA Central Realty Group agent Suzanne Kelly. “Through our collective efforts and because we all truly care about these amazing children, we can continue the tradition of sending children with neuromuscular disease to MDA summer camp.”
Culminating a strong summer of giving, members of ERA Justin Realty Co. were front and center to ring the NASDAQ opening bell on Wall Street during the Muscular Dystrophy Show of Strength Telethon Kick-Off Celebration in late August. The telethon itself raised $59.6 million over the Labor Day weekend with celebrity appearances including: Ryan Seacrest, the Backstreet Boys, Darius Rucker and Matthew Morrison – to name a few. 
The annual fundraiser helps support MDA’s research and medical support services designed to combat neuromuscular diseases. Across the country, MDA has 120 offices and sponsors 200 medical clinics in addition to supporting more than 250 related research projects around the world. For more than 36 years, ERA Real Estate has been a MDA corporate sponsor.
To learn how you can help support the MDA, click here.
